The prior art is already aware of apparatus and methods useful in the handling and treatment of liquids for removing suspended particles or contamination from a liquid, and this includes apparatus and methods which operate on the principle of a settling tank or the like wherein there may be various compartments for receiving and processing the liquid and the tank can include baffles and inlets and outlets for the guidance of the flow of the liquid through the tank. Also, examples of prior art apparatus and methods are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,284,737 and 2,585,878 and 2,955,714 and 3,341,983 and 3,540,588 and 3,731,802. Also, simply by way of reference to additional disclosures, my own U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,949 discloses apparatus for separating liquids from a liquid mixture and utilizing a tank.
The present invention is distinguishable from the aforesaid disclosures in that it is relating to apparatus and a method for separating solid particles from a liquid, such as the coolant used in machining, or other liquids found or utilized in other circumstances. That is, as related to the machining problem, it is common practice to have a liquid coolant applied to a work piece which is being machined, and the coolant will of course pick up metal chips and other solid particles, and it is desirable to remove the particles from the coolant so that the coolant can be recovered and even reused in a non-contaminated or cleaner form which does not have the particles mentioned. Still further, the type of coolant commonly used in the machining industry is an oil base type, and the coolant will normally come into contact with oil from the machine or the work piece or any other source, and it might also pick up water, and it is then desirable to separate the water from the oil or oils mentioned.
The present invention provides apparatus and a method for accomplishing the aforementioned and overcoming the problems mentioned above, all as pertaining to the prior art. Therefore, the apparatus and method of this invention has the objective of separating solid particles from a liquid, and it also has the effect of separating two different weight liquids from a liquid mixture which is also the liquid with the particle contaminants mentioned.
Another object and advantage of this invention is to provide the apparatus and method mentioned above, which is for the purposes and functions mentioned above, and to do so with apparatus which is of a minimum of complexity and expense and effecting the optimum efficiency of separating solid particles from a liquid, and to further subject the particles to a treatment which further removes them from the apparatus and the vehicle or supportive liquid utilized.
Other objects and advantages will become aparent upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawings.